Draft philosophy, edge rusher plans, injury updates and defensive expectations — Brad Holmes covered a lot in part two of the Lions Collective interview. Here’s the full breakdown.
In part two of the Detroit Lions Collective podcast interview with general manager Brad Holmes, the conversation shifted more toward draft philosophy, roster building, injuries and expectations for the defense moving forward. Holmes gave insight into how he approaches the draft, why positional need doesn’t always drive decisions and why the Lions believe their roster is still trending in the right direction.
Eric Woodyard brought up the frustrations fans sometimes have when it comes to drafting edge rushers, especially when the draft board doesn’t match positional needs. Holmes responded by explaining his draft philosophy and how teams often have to stick to their board rather than chase needs.
Holmes said when it comes to the draft, teams naturally have favorite players, and while fans may not always like it, the Lions stick to their philosophy of not drafting purely based on need. However, if positional need and best player available line up, that is the ideal situation. Holmes has built a reputation as a best-player-available drafter, which has frustrated some fans at times, but his track record makes it hard to argue with the results. He also mentioned that it is more frustrating to miss out on a great player than it is to miss out on a specific position.
Holmes pointed to wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa as an example, calling him “a player we wanted to go get,” reinforcing the idea that the Lions prioritize players over positions. Detroit even traded two third-round picks to acquire the receiver, despite wide receiver not being viewed as one of the team’s biggest needs at the time.
Holmes also referenced the draft selection of linebacker Jack Campbell, saying the Lions did not necessarily have a need at inside linebacker when they drafted him, but they loved the player. Campbell went on to be named First-Team All-Pro last season, further supporting Holmes’ philosophy that it is better to draft the best player rather than reach for a position of need.
Woodyard followed up by asking whether Holmes feels the Lions have done enough in free agency to give themselves the flexibility to pass on an edge rusher in the draft if the board doesn’t fall their way. Holmes responded by saying you can never have enough edge rushers, but again emphasized that it has to be the right player, not just the right position. He made it clear that edge rusher will not be ignored, but they won’t force a pick just to fill the position.
Justin Rodgers then asked about the overall roster, particularly on defense, and whether the team still has a lot of work to do after losing some players while bringing in new ones. Holmes responded by explaining that free agency is just the first major calendar event after the season, and sometimes people treat it like it’s the only time teams can add players. He emphasized that teams can continue adding players through trades, roster cuts and other moves throughout the offseason and even during the season.
Holmes also noted that the NFL is a tough league and teams are always trying to improve. He said “sometimes you don’t truly know how good a player is until you see them play in actual games” which is why patience is important when evaluating roster moves.
At one point, Holmes seemed to take a subtle shot at the media and outside evaluations, saying you have to wait until the games start before making a real assessment of a roster because nobody truly knows how things will play out. He also mentioned that players who are initially viewed as depth pieces can end up becoming major contributors. A recent example would be Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was expected to be a depth player but ended up recording 11 sacks.
Jeff Iafrate then asked Holmes about his confidence level in the defense becoming a Super Bowl-caliber unit like some recent championship teams. Holmes immediately responded that he has high confidence and went on to praise defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, saying the sky is the limit for the defense under his leadership.
Will Burchfield then asked about injured safety Kerby Joseph and what a realistic outlook is for his recovery. Holmes said Joseph is working hard, training and rehabbing, and the team should have a better assessment in a few weeks. He added that Joseph is on track and the team continues to monitor his progress closely.
Rodgers also asked about Brian Branch and his Achilles injury, specifically whether the team has looked at other players who have returned from similar injuries and performed at a high level. Holmes chose not to name specific players but said he recently saw a player coming off that same type of injury and you would never have known he was previously injured based on how he was moving. That gave him confidence in Branch’s recovery and long-term outlook.
Overall, the Lions Collective podcast asked a lot of tough, meaningful questions and didn’t hold back from major topics like draft philosophy, roster construction, injuries and defensive expectations. Holmes was very transparent throughout the interview and gave a clear look into how the Lions front office approaches building this roster for both the present and the future.
Here is the link for the full interview: https://youtu.be/KAs96YtStf4